Zimbabwe War Vets Want Presidential Age Limit of 52 Years

HARARE — Zimbabwe’s fighters of the liberation struggle of the 1960s have called for a constitutional amendment for raising the presidential age limit from 40 to 52 years.

This move was immediately rebuffed by Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change led by Nelson Chamisa, which said the amendment is targeted at the 40 year-old, who contested this year’s disputed presidential election won by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Victor Matemadanda, secretary of the Zimbabwe National War Veterans Association, told journalists in Harare that all presidential candidates should be mature enough to “fully grasp the gravity of what it means to run a country.”

But the MDC said Matemadanda’s remarks are targeted at blocking Chamisa from contesting the next presidential election.

Section 91 of the country’s constitution stipulates that a person qualifies for election as president or vice-president if he or she is a Zimbabwean citizen by birth or descent; has attained the age of forty years; is ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe; and is registered as a voter.